What if anything did Louis XVIII achieve in France in the years 1815-1824?

As Louis XVIII came back after the Second Restoration to a France heavily divided between remaining bonopartistes, radicals left over from the earlier days of the revolution, and the majoritya weary population who only a year previously had been released from a military dictatorship under Napoleon, any form of political stability was an achievement for the fragile and vulnerable state that was France. In this way, Louis establishment of a moderate France was an astounding achievement. However, if divisions among Frances people were the main reason behind the tumult and pockets of continuing terror in France, Louis achieved nothing of the calibre of equalising these factionsshowcased completely in the takeover by his radical ultra brother, Charles X. The first and most poignant achievement of Louis XVIIIs was his 1814 Charter that incorporated the grievances of Liberals who had felt their rights quashed under Napoleons dictatorial reign. Although the charter was passed before the period in question, its effects were felt for many years to come. Most notably the charter both honoured freedom of the press, condemning censorship, while also appeasing nobles and the propertied classes through stating that all property was inviolable and pleasing the weary French with the abolishment of Conscription following 20 years of heavy military dues. The Charters effect was not just to create equilibrium between men of all backgrounds, but also to lay positive foundations for stability and an eye for the future. The French were used to past constitutions being blighted soon after their creation by the onset of dictatorship or revolutionary chaos. Where Louis XVIII achieved success was in creating a Constitution that was adhered to for the next 10 yearsrepealing the fears of the French people of a coup or uprising against it. The fact that the charter managed to sustain moderation for the most part of its existence is undoubtedly an achievement. Furthermore, Louis choice of ministers was careful and canny. After the ultra royalist chambre introuvable was elected in 1815, clearly in support of the ancien regime and clericalism, it was the prime minister, Duc de Richelieu who advised its dissolution in 1816. As Louis XVIIIs personal attributes were few and he was remarkably uninspiring, it was unarguably an achievement of his to give talented ministers like Richelieu and Decazes prime ministerial positions as they were able to make strong decisive laws for France under the guise of Louis instruction. Richelieus decision to dissolve the notorious chamber was perhaps life-saving for the Bourbons as the increasingly ultra cabinet inspired popular protest and discontent among the more liberal population in Paris, and a coup or revolt by them was a potential that would have destroyed Louis moderate credentials. Again it was Richelieu who, after attending the Congress of Aix-LaChapelle in 1818, heard of an Allied plan for intervention into France if a revival of revolutionary trouble was to occur. To this extent, his advocation of middle ground, representative policies not only prevented an onslaught of revolutionary behaviour, but avoided a further humiliating intervention by the allies. It is fair to say then, that Louis appointment of such ministers was probably the biggest achievement of his reignwithout them he would have been decidedly weak.

His last major success was perhaps in the economy, linking also to foreign policy. Considering that by 1818 the Allied troops that patrolled France has been paid off of the land, Frances economic achievements between 1815-1830 were remarkable. Again under the instruction of Decazes, finally unburdened of the war indemnity, Frances finances were reorganised and taxes made fairer. This gave way to years of relative prosperity, which Louis XVIII could claim as his own achievement. The charter, after all, had set out terms for equality that made the fairer taxation an inevitable piece of legislation. Clause 2 had stated that tax would now be paid in proportion to their wealth for the first time in French history. This progressive legislation went towards a bankrupt France who had been paying for Napoleons glorious endeavours for too long. Because of this, Frances economy became successful under Louis XVIII, and whether it was by his own political thought or his underlings, it is an achievement of his reign. It is apparent, however, that Louis XVIII failed to keep the equilibrium between the Ultras and the Liberals as the personal murder of his nephew, the Duc de Berry, would prove. The way in which the Ultras managed to scapegoat the liberals for his death, as the murderer was an ex-soldier linked to Napoleon, shows a pre-existing imbalance of power. As the Liberals were numerically a much larger force in France, the ability of the small group of Ultras to gain an electoral swing in their favour by the French population showed their compact strength. A strength that Louis was unable to resist. As the murder caused a major shift to the right, Louis XVIIIs liberal policies were immediately blamed for allowing radicalism to re-emerge and his regime was thenceforth heavily discredited. We can call this a major failing of Louis regime as he was obviously unable to quell the persuasive power of the Ultras. Even after dissolving the Chambre Introuvable and creating annual elections to replace 1/5 of the chamber (supposedly a measure to counter the Ultras), their influence was still stronger than his, and this came to light no better than after the Duc de Berrys assassination. If Louis goal had been to equalise the factions that had come about under the first Bourbon Restoration, which saw the onset of a royalist led White Terror against any remaining Napoleonic elements, his reign was a total failure with no achievement. Perhaps another great failure of Louis was his inability to successfully manage the Church. As popular opinion at the time was to renounce clericalism and any religion associated with the Ancien Regime. As Louis XVIII allowed his coronation and influence in France to be increasingly Catholic, Liberals began to associate their new King with this church that had been so vehemently hated in 1789. The renewed dominance of the Catholic Church over Education created widespread discontent after the widely liberal and progressive education laws of both the Directory and Napoleon. In the end, Louis association with the Catholic Church marked his failings as it appeased the royalists and very much backed the campaign of Charles X who was to replaced Louis. As an ultra king, the ascension of Charles X perhaps showed in hindsight that had Louis supported the suppression of the Catholic Church in France, his popularity and therefore his brothers unpopularity would have reined. Letting an Ultra Royalist King come to power with such ease in overtaking Louis XVIII was therefore a fault of Louis himself, making his reign ultimately unsuccessful.

In Conclusion, the measure of Louis achievements is based in how we measure success. Considering context, Louis bought France from a place of relative chaos following the 100 days to one of revolutionary quiet and moderation. The fairness advocating under the 1814 Charter was an unmitigated success. However, this could be seen as an equalisation or a resolution rather than an outright achievement. More than achieve for France, Louis simply did not go drastically wrong, as all former governments had seemed to do to cause the downfall of their own regime. Therefore, although Louis certainly achieved harmony for France as a whole, his inability for decisive and radical action left powerful factions of Ultras and Liberals ascertaining the power that he did not use and advantaging themselves. The coronation of Charles X on the throne was a sign that the Ultras had outwitted and overpowered a tired Louis XVIII, showing that in terms of quelling radical groups and thinkers, Louis made very little achievement in France between 1815-1830.